Rail-sanding device.



No. 831,325. PATENTED SEPT. 18, 1906.

v F. J. BURLINGAME & J. MERRILL.

RAIL SANDING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.18.1906.

IN NTORS E17: Zfhrlcqgame. (7. 'JIQEYI'Z'ZZ WITNESSES 1m: mamas PETERS cm, WASHINGTON, n, c.

UNITED s'rnrns PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK JOHNSON BURLINGAME AND JOSIAH MERRILL, OF WOON- SOCKET, RHODE ISLAND.

RAIL-SANDING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 18, 1906.

Application filed January 18, 1906- Seria1No.296,728.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that we, FREDERICK J OHNSON BURLINGAME and Josmn MERRILL, citizens of the United States, residing at VVoonsocket, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Rail-Sanding Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved railsanding device particularly adapted for sanding the rails of street-railways when they are in a slippery condition; and the objects of the invention are to provide a strong and durable device having a cut-off which operates horizontally across the lower end of the dischargespout and which contacts therewith, so that at every movement of the cut-off the sand which may have a tendency to adhere is wiped therefrom, thus keeping the cut-ofi clear and leaving it free to operate both to open and close the spout.

A further object of the invention is to provide an agitating device that is operatively connected with the cut-off lever and which is operated each time the lower end of the discharge-spout is opened or closed.

With these briefly-stated objects in view the invention comprises certain details of construction and peculiar combination and arrangement of parts, as will be fully described in the following specification and pointed out in the claims, reference being had to the drawings, in whioh Figure lis a side elevation of our improvement attached to the floor of a car, the flooring being in section. Fig. 2 is an irregular horizontal sectional plan view drawn through two discharge-spouts, the section through one spout being on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1 and through the opposite spout on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the device, showing the hopper removed; and Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view drawn on the line i l of Fig. 1.

Sanding devices now employed have been found objectionable for the reason that the cut-off valves controlling the discharge of the sand have either been hinged to fold up against the lower end of the spout or constructed to operate through the spout adjacent the lower end. With the hinged cut-off the weight of the sand pushes the valve away from the end of the spout, leaving an opening through which the sand constantly escapes,

and with the sliding cut-offs the opening and guides through which the valves operate become clogged and prevent the free movement of the valve, especially in freezing weather, and should the sand be at all damp when first put into the hopper and like the gate-valves permit a constant escape of the sand, consequently causing a waste and much annoyance.

With our invention we seek to overcome these defects, as will be readily understood from the following description, taken in connection with the drawings, in which A designates a hopper of any suitable shape, which is connected to the flooringA of a car, and B designates the discharge-spout, the body of which is non-circular in crosssection and terminates at its upper end in a flange B, by which the spout is connected to the hopper, and at its lower end ina circular collar B Riveted to one side of the spout is an arm C, to the end of which is pivotally connected a cut-oif lever D, having a central enlarged portion D, which is designed to fit snugly against and close the lower end of the discharge-spout, and from the central portion extends in obtuse-angular directions the ends D and D of the lever, the end D being the pivotal end, and to the free end of D is connected a rod or link E, the opposite end' of which is connected to a link E, that is in turn connected to an angle-lever E pivotally held in a bracket E secured to the under side of the car-floor and which is engaged by an operating bolt or pin E", that projects up through the floor within convenient reach of the motorman. A spring F is connected at one end to the joints of the links E and E and at its opposite end to a suitable eyebolt depending from the floor of the car. From this arrangement it will be seen that when the bolt or pin is depressed the angle-lever will draw the links forwardly, which will swing the cut-off lever and open the mouth of the discharge-spout, permitting an escape of the sand within the hopper, and the moment pressure upon the bolt or pin is removed the spring F will throw the rods baokwardly, which causes the lever to completely close the lower end of the spout.

In order to insure a positive discharge of the sand we employ an agitator G, that is held upon a rock-shaft G, to one end of which is connected an arm G which eX- tends downwardly through a slot D produced in the end D of the cut-off lever, and it will be seen that the moment the lever is operated to open the lower end of the discharge-spout the agitator will be operated,

' and when the lever is moved to close the dis charge-spout the agitator is again operated, which disintegrates the sand and leaves it free to readily escape through the dischargespout the moment the lower end is open.

A delivery-tube H is connected to the discharge-spout and arranged immediately be low the latter by bracket arms or bars I, one of which is bent to provide a loop, into which the lever extends when the latter is operated to open the discharge-spout.

While we have described the construction of only one of our devices, it will of course be understood that two such devices are ar ranged upon each car, and in Fig. 2 of the drawings we illustrate the connection of the links with the angle-lever so that both outoff valves are operated simultaneously.

From the foregoing it will be seen we provide an exceedingly cheap, simple, and highly efficient device for the purposes stated.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A device of the kind described comprising a hopper, a discharge-spout connected thereto, an arm projecting from the spout, a cut-off lever pivotally connected to the arm, a rock-shaft journaled in the discharge spout and having an agitator-plate arranged thereon, an arm connected to the rock-shaft at one end and having its opposite end projecting through a slot produced in the said cut-off lever, and means for operating the lever substantially as specified.

2. A device of the kind described comprising a hopper, a discharge-spout connected thereto, the lower end of the said spout terminating in a collar, an arm connected to and extending from one side of the hopper, a cut- 4 5 off lever pivotally connected at one end to the arm, a rod or link connected to the opposite end of the lever, the said lever having an enlarged portion intermediate its ends which is adapted to close the lower end of the discharge-spout, a rock-shaft journaled in the spout and having an agitator-plate extending vertically through the spout, an arm connected to one end of the shaft and extending through a slot produced in the lever, a delivery-tube connected to the discharge-spout, an operating-rod connected at one end to the free end of the said rod or link and at its opposite end to an angle-lever, a bolt or pin for operating the angle-lever, and a spring connected to the second-mentioned rod for re versing the movement of the lever substantially as specified.

3. A device of the kind described comprising a discharge-sp out, a cut-off lever pivotally connected thereto and having a slot, a rockshaft journaled in the spout, an agitator carried by the shaft, an arm connected to the shaft at one end and having its opposite end extending into the slot inthe cut-off and means for operating the cut-off.

4. A device of the kind described comprising a hopper having a discharge-spout connected thereto, an arm connected to the spout, a cut-off pivotally connected to the arm and having a slotted end portion, a rockshaft journaled in the spout and having an agitator secured thereto which projects into the hopper, an arm connected to the shaft and extending downwardly into the slot of the cut off, and means for operating the cut-off.

FREDERICK JOHNSON BURLINGAME. JOSIAH MERRILL.

Witnesses:

MILDRED E. RAY, MAUDE E. TAYLOR. 

